INSIDE

Though historically speaking this is Eloy's second effort, the fact is that most Eloy fans, as well as the band's legendary frontman Frank Bornemann, regard "Inside" as Eloy's real first album from the artistic point of view. So this is where it all got started: extended jamming, Meddle-era Pink Floyd and early Nektar influences, lush organ orchestrations, clever interplays between guitar and organ, tight rhythm section, an occasional touch of R'n'B- oriented exotic drive. All these factors that I've just mentioned take place here in a very fluid manner. In many ways their style bears a connection to the family tree of fellow country bands such as Novalis and Grobschnitt, although generally speaking, Eloy is usually less eerie than the former and clearly less extravagant than the latter. Somehow Eloy has a distinct sound of their own which comes to the fore beyond any obvious foreign influences and contemporary coincidences; and this is where the whole thing got properly started. The opening track is the sidelong suite 'Land of No Body', which pretty much serves as a perfect example of Eloy's musical essence for their 73-75 era. Additionally, this suite incarnates a clear hint to the stylistic evolution toward an increasingly polished symphonic prog that the band would assume from the 'Dawn' album onward until the early 80s. The title track is another classic in the band's historic repertoire, and is pretty much linked to the musical line that had already been drawn by 'Land of No Body'. My fave track in this album is the closure 'Up and Down', since it manages to convey that special Eloy magic perfectly. Between the two lies the up-tempo 'Future City', built upon a catchy R'n'B pattern with a funky twist - something like Nektar meets Blood Sweat & Tears. I won't say that this is nothing special indeed, since it serves as a ray of light among the album's dense, reflective ambience, and also allows the listener to know how far the band can go at exploiting the most intense facet of their own prog sound: but it's also clear that 'Future City' doesn't live up to the artistic heights realized in the other three numbers. The two bonus tracks in the 2000 CD item are 'Daybreak' and 'In the Road': originally edited as both sides of a 1973 single, they extend the amusing lightness of track 3. General balance - a very good record, which shows a band in full artistic development, a development that would prove particularly fruitful during the second half of the 70s.